At Bennington, The Plan is a theoretical map that every student draws to dive deep into the studies of an area and subject of their choice. It’s a personalized, evolving direction of your education designed by you, with guidance from an advisor and faculty who are in your areas of study

What does that look like in practice?
When you ask a Bennington student what they study, you might hear:

Medical Anthropology
Victorian Literature
Space Architecture
Objecthood and Nostalgia
Along with more traditional areas:
English and Psychology
Biology and Photography
Painting, Math, and Chemistry

Students pick their main areas of study and create a central question that might combine their interests to make a path of study that is unique to you.

How The Plan works:

You start your first year studying broadly with no requirements outside of your First Year Forum Class
You create a Plan Proposal your second year to present to a faculty committee
You build your course of study around your questions, interests, and goals
You meet regularly with faculty advisors who help you refine your focus
Your Plan grows and shifts with you so you can grow as a learner

The goal is to balance intellectual adventure with academic depth. Your curiosity drives it. The Plan shapes it. Together, they make an education that’s completely your own with depth in your areas of interest while also continuing to study broadly in a liberal arts model.

Student Voices: The Plan

Playlist (5)

The Plan Process

Areas of Study

Faculty

Advising and First Year Forum

Student Voices: The Plan